Life John Argyropoulos (Ἰωάννης Ἀργυρόπουλος) was a Byzantine Greek scholar born in Constantinople around 1415 [1]. After earning a doctorate from the University of Padua in 1444, he taught in Constantinople before fleeing to Italy following the Ottoman conquest in 1453 [1][2]. In Italy, he became a prominent teacher of Greek philosophy, lecturing in Florence under Medici patronage—where his students included Angelo Poliziano and the future Pope Leo X—and later in Rome, where he died around 1487 [1][2].

Works His primary contributions were Latin translations of and commentaries on Aristotelian texts, including the Nicomachean Ethics, Physics, and On the Soul [1][2]. He also produced various orations and letters [1].

Significance Argyropoulos was a key intermediary in transmitting Aristotelian philosophy from the Byzantine world to Renaissance Italy. His esteemed translations and his teaching directly shaped the philosophical education of Italian humanists, bridging late Byzantine scholarship and the early modern revival of classical thought [1][2].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Plato.stanford.edu): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pletho/ 2. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Argyropoulos